Magnet For Trouble
by missymay-gypsy
Summary: Trouble seemed to have a way of following Jennifer Keller. A Pre-Ship Ronon and Jennifer story.


**AN: Ronon and Keller pre-ship story. As always, big thanks to Nika Dixon for being my beta. Please review as it inspires me to write more.**

Kidnapped.

Again.

If something could go wrong on a mission, it would happen to her.

Jennifer didn't go looking for trouble.

Trouble had a way of finding her.

She was a magnet.

So here she was. Kidnapped again during a routine visit off-world to check up on some patients she had seen a month before.

Jennifer had been in the makeshift clinic before a small fire fight broke out. By the time she realised what was happening, she had been stunned, thrown over someone's shoulder and taken away.

Sitting in the holding cell, she sighed.

 _Why does this always happen to me!?_

She had awoken a few hours ago with a visit by her captors. She wasn't too sure of what they wanted. All she could tell was that they were attempting to use her as leverage so they could reach Atlantis.

As to why they wanted access to Atlantis, she would never know.

They apparently had been told of people who would travel through the ancestral ring from the ancient city. A month ago, they caught wind that people had traveled from Atlantis to the village and were expected to return in another months time.

So they waited.

They saw her as the weakest and easiest to capture.

During her interrogation, Jennifer kept calm. She didn't tell them anything.

 _They'll come for me,_ she continued to tell herself, even when one of the three men decided to hit her, multiple times in multiple areas.

Punches were thrown by both the man and Jennifer, in an attempt to fight back before she blackness submerged her.

She had no idea how long she had been there. There was no light in her cell and her watch was broken. It felt longer than it probably would have been. She thought it could've been at least a day.

Jennifer shifted her position against the wall, cradling her right side. Pain was shooting through it from an injury she received during her fight.

 _I'm seriously sick of this,_ she thought. _Why does it have to always be me? Why can't it be someone else for a change? I swear to god if… when I get out of here I'm not going on any off-world missions ever again!_

Her lack of knowledge of the time had her second guessing her mantra.

 _They'll come for me, won't they? I shouldn't be thinking about if they come for me, I should be thinking about WHEN they come for me._

She sighed again before huffing to blow her hair away from her face.

 _What happens if they don't come for me? What if they don't me useful enough to get them on Atlantis. What will they do to me then? No. I shouldn't think that way. Positive thoughts Jennifer, positive thoughts. Think about your dad, think about Laura. Think about Ronon._

 _Ronon._

Whether she be in her office in Atlantis or waiting for a rescue, her thoughts would be consumed by the Satedan.

She liked him.

 _Really_ liked him.

However, she was too afraid to make a move. The young doctor didn't have much experience with relationships. Romantic or platonic.

The self-conscious part of her convinced herself that the gorgeous man on Atlantis would ever be interested in her. The confident part of her, however, liked to think that the glances and stares she saw Ronon give her, which he didn't know she knew, was a sign of him being interested.

She sighed again.

 _Why am I afraid to tell him how I feel!? Actually, why is HE afraid to tell me how he feels? If his stares are anything to go by._

Her thoughts continued to be of Ronon before a pain-induced sleep claimed her.

Jennifer woke when a hand shook her shoulder.

She desperately prayed it belonged to someone from Atlantis.

Disappointment washed over her when she opened her eyes.

"Up," the man demanded.

Her brain took longer than he liked to process.

"I said, UP!" he shouted while pulling Jen to her feet by her shirt.

She gasped in pain.

Jennifer took note that she was being led back into the room where she was interrogated before. She braced herself for another round of questioning which would most likely lead to something physical. The pain radiating from her side indicated that she was too weak to fight back this time.

Back in the comfort of her cell, Jen did a mental check of her injuries. Bruised ribs, possible fracture. Sprained ankle. Bruised and inflamed hand from when she threw a punch back. Possible bruising on her face, but she didn't have access to a mirror to check.

Her mind was getting the better of her.

 _They're not coming._

 _I've been here for god knows how long! Most likely days. They only chance of me getting back to Atlantis is me telling them how to contact Atlantis so they can inform them they have me._

 _I can't do that._

 _If I tell them how to contact Atlantis they could possibly tell others and everyone will be in danger._

Jennifer shifted into a more comfortable position in hopes of relieving some of the pain.

The doctor side of her ordered her to stop feeling sorry for herself. Atlantis would never leave someone behind. They were out there looking for her.

 _I wish I was more like Teyla, or have some knowledge on how to plan a successful escape._

 _I'm not a strong fighter like Teyla or even some of the female marines._

 _Another reason why Ronon would never want me._

The new comfort she received from her position shift helped clear her mind to make an important decision.

 _WHEN, not IF. When I get back to Atlantis and see Ronon again, I'm going to tell him how I feel._

 _Even though I stutter every time when I attempt a conversation that doesn't revolve around the treatment of an injury during infirmary visits, I'm going to tell him._

 _Better yet, I'll show him._

 _I'll just kiss him in hopes he understands how I feel._

 _Seeing as he is a man of little words._

Jennifer's eyes began to close before she heard a noise that resembled an explosion.

Her head shot up.

 _They came,_ she thought to herself, _please be them._

She closed her eyes, waiting to hear footsteps approach her cell. It felt like hours had passed since the explosion. Her will to believe that Atlantis had finally found her was dwindling.

Finally, two sets of footsteps approached her cell. Colonel John Sheppard and Major Evan Lorne appeared on the other side of the bars.

A smile crept on her face when she heard John say "Hey doc, how ya doing?"

"Ready to go home?" Lorne asked.

"Yes, god yes!" she replied. "Though, I may need some help walking out of here."

With Lorne on her right and Sheppard on her left, they walked her out to the waiting jumper.

Jennifer squinted her eyes at the harsh sunlight. "How long Major?" she asked curiously.

"A day and a half," he replied somberly, "I'm sorry. I should've stayed with you in the medical tent and I would have been able to stop you getting captured."

"It's ok, Major, you're forgiven," Jennifer replied. "There is nothing you could've done. They would have waited until nightfall or any moment I was alone to take me. It's not your fault."

Lorne opened his mouth to reply however closed it when he saw Sheppard shake his head, indicating to drop the subject.

Before John could ask any questions, Ronon came into view. Approaching the trio, he placed his gun back into his holster.

"Two of the men have been captured. Three more are dead," he stated, directed at Sheppard and Lorne.

His eyes looked over Jennifer's bruised and battered body being supported by the two men, struggling.

"I've got her," Ronon said before he placed his arms around her waist for support, relieving the two men.

Jennifer watched Sheppard and Lorne head in the direction, of what she assumed, the jumper.

Her mind screamed at her, reminding the doctor the promise she made to herself.

She wasn't sure if it was seeing Ronon, the fact she had been rescued or the pain that engulfed her right side that helped her find the courage she needed.

Before he was able to place his arm behind her knees, her hand made contact with his chest.

"Ronon," she said, with less confidence than she would've liked. "I…. I…. I um… The thing is…. I…. Look I kinda….I…"

Jennifer stopped. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath.

Ronon's eyes curiously watched her.

Opening her eyes, his jade green met hers.

Before her courage completely disappeared, Jennifer leaned up as high as she could pushing past the pain that now ran through her entire body, grateful for Ronon's arm still gripping her waist. Gently placing a hand on his cheek with the other around his neck, she brought her lips to meet his in a passionate kiss.

 _He doesn't want me,_ she thought.

 _God, I was so stupid!_

Before she could apologize for her actions, Ronon leaned forward. Returning the kiss, her hand gripped tighter around the nape of his neck before his right hand caressed her cheek.

Breaking away for air, the two stared at each other before Jennifer broke the silence.

"I… I like you Ronon. A lot," she said, seeing a smile appear on his face.

"I like you too," he replied, resulting in a small laugh to escape Jennifer.

Ronon leaned in for a quick kiss, but Jennifer pulled away. "As much as I would like to continue this, I'd like to go home."

Jennifer noticed the small smile fade from Ronon's face. "Mind if we raincheck this after I see Carson and have a warm shower?" she asked.

Ronon simply nodded, before placing her in his arms and walking towards the jumper.

The doctor passed out within mere seconds of being lifted off the ground.

Jennifer woke to the smell of disinfectant and a white ceiling. Turning her head, she noticed Ronon asleep in the chair next to her.

Jen smiled.

Before she had the chance to wake him, Carson approached her, drawing the privacy curtain.

"Hello lass, how's the pain?" he asked in a whisper.

"It's ok. My side hurts more than anything."

"Well your ribs are bruised and you fractured your hand," he stated, "everything will heal up nicely as long as you don't strain yourself and rest."

Jennifer nodded in response.

"How long has he been here?" she asked curiously, turning her head back to Ronon's direction.

"The man refused to leave your side. You've been out for two days."

"He's been here for two days?"

"Aye, he has. He only left when Sheppard basically pushed him towards the mess hall to eat something and have a shower before he came back. He was only gone for about an hour," he answered. "He cares deeply for you Jen, I can tell."

Carson gave Jennifer a warm smile before leaving the two alone.

"Hey," she said, causing Ronon to shoot up.

"You're awake."

"Yeah," she replied awkwardly.

Ronon moved from the chair to sit at the edge of the bed. He took the hand closest to him and brought it to his mouth, placing a chaste kiss against the back. "I'm glad you're okay Jennifer."

"So am I. Thank you, for coming for me."

"I will always come for you little one," he stated before moving his hand to caress her cheek.

They sat in comfortable silence, staring at each other while Jennifer enjoyed the feeling of his rough, calloused hands on her skin.

"So," she said, breaking the silence, "about that...umm...that kiss."

"What about it?"

"I...I'm sorry."

"Sorry?"

"Yes."

"Why? Do you regret it?" he curiously asked.

"No. No, I don't"

"Neither do I," he stated, "so what are you apologizing for?"

Jennifer shrugged. "I kinda felt the need to apologize. I never imagined our first kiss to be.. well... to be after you rescued me on a world where I had been kidnapped."

"No?"

She shook her head.

"How did you imagine it?" he asked, causing Jennifer to blush slightly.

"I….I…. I um, I imagined it after a date maybe, out on one of the balconies looking out onto the east pier," she shyly answered.

"After a date?"

"Yeah, you know, dinner and a movie in the privacy of one's quarters or a romantic picnic on the mainland."

Silence enveloped the pair once again.

"Do you… want to… to go on a date?" Ronon asked nervously.

A smile appeared on Jennifer's face before she released a feminine giggle.

Nodding her head in response, she replied, "Yeah, I'd like that."

"Good."

Ronon shifted closer on the bed. "I seem to remember you promised me a... what did you call it? A _raincheck_ on a kiss?" he asked with a hint of playfulness.

Jennifer smiled again before Ronon's lips found hers.

 **The End.**


End file.
